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By Walter Weeks

THERE is very little useful material in the litera-ture on the construction of manometers, so each experimenter must devise his own instrument. I have experimented for a number of years and have finally built one that is satisfactory. If we are to obtain accurate friction factors in mine-ventilation problems we must use accurate instruments. The most simple and convenient instrument for the mea-surement of small pressures is the inclined manometer or U-tube. By changing the angle at which the tube is set, any desired magnification of the pressure reading may be obtained. The first question in regard to the manometer is: What liquid shall be used? Alcohol, in my opinion, is the best. It does not cling to the glass and it does not attack the rubber tubes. The next problem is the setting of the instrument at the proper angle. One method is illustrated in Fig. 1. The base plate AC is made horizontal by a level bubble. The plate AB, which carries the U-tube, is hinged at A. The angle z which AB makes with the horizontal may be made any value by pinning the end B at the calculated position on the arm CD. Such an instrument may be designed to read directly in inches of water if a liquid of constant specific gravity is used. If the specific gravity varies, a calculation is necessary to convert the reading into inches of water.

Jan 1, 1923

By E. L. Raymond

The effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and resultant notch-bar rupture life of ZNCONEL alloys X- 750 and 718 was studied. It was found that the primary effect of heat treatment in rendering these alloys notch-ductile is the elimination of any y' denuded zone adjacent to the pain boundaries. The mechanisms by which such a denuded zone can arise and be eliminated by heat treatment are discussed. InCONEL Ni-Cr alloy X-750 and INCONEL Ni-Cr alloy 718 are age-hardenable austenitic materials. Alloy X-750 is used for its corrosion and oxidation resistance and high creep-rupture strength up to 1500°F. Alloy 718 is used most effectively up to 1300°F. One of the most important areas in their development has been establishment of consistently good rupture properties, especially in the presence of a stress concentration, such as imposed by a notch. A desire to improve these properties has led to extensive studies of the effect of heat treatment on the micro structure of these alloys and their performance in stress-rupture tests. In earlier investigations"~ of INCONEL* alloy X-750, *INCONEL i s a Registered Trademark of The International Nickel Co., Inc. grain boundary carbide morphology was linked with stress-rupture properties. If, during heat treatment, the carbide MZSC was precipitated in the grain bound-ary in a cellular form, poor rupture properties re-

Jan 1, 1968

By Claude Ferquson

MORE men are killed and injured in the metal mines of the United States from falls of rock and ore than from any other cause. Dan Harrington, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, recently stated that "falls of men and material continue to take about 50 per cent of the lives annually lost in our mines (coal or metal) and this kind of accident is now and has been one of the most difficult to prevent." The fact that comparatively little has recently been written on this important subject for the benefit of the metal miner is the incentive for the present paper. Little will be said that will be new, but I hope to place fresh emphasis on certain well-known' principles' and to reiterate and stress previously stated rules so that the average experienced miner, as well as his buddy who may not be so experienced,' will sit up and take notice. It is not within the scope of this paper to discuss mining methods from the standpoint of safety and the prevention of accidents from falls of rock. It is up to the mine management to select the system of mining best suited to the character of the ore deposit and its wall conditions. This is something that the miner can do little about; although in many mines the management encourages the workmen to make suggestions that will improve existing

Jan 1, 1938

By ARTHUR THACHER

PRIMITIVE man supplied his wants as they arose; as he became more civilized he anticipated them by producing more regularly and storing the products for future use. This tended to cheapen' production and prevent ' violent fluctuations and therefore tended to increase consumption. In order to anticipate our wants, we must know what these wants will be, and this can be .determined only by statistics. 'While we have made great progress in gathering statistics, they are still far from what they should be; especially metal statistics. We determine fairly, well the amount produced, but this does not answer all inquiries because of the erratic conditions of mining, it is necessary to carry larger stocks of metals than of most other articles; moreover, as metals are more or less durable, it is difficult to determine the actual consumption. We often count under consumption what is being produced and sold, while the actual consumption is what is being worn out.

Jan 1, 1921

By T. Cuscino, D. D. Lane, C. Cowherd, T. E. Baxter

Three types of commercially-available dust suppressants, commonly used in the surface mining industry to control fugitive particulate emissions from unpaved roads, were tested in the laboratory for cohesive strength and resistance to reduced effectiveness by large water addi¬tions. Results indicate that each product tested varies in cohesive strength with a range of 34-300 kPa (5-44 psi). Total cohesive strength depends on the aggregate moisture content and the means by which the sample is dried. Results show that laboratory testing can be used as a decision¬making tool concerning the type of dust suppressant for a particular mining operation. Also, the road surface aggre¬gate moisture content u critical to successful dust suppres¬sant performance. Large water additions to the aggregate road surface after initial suppressant application can pro¬duce nondesirable results. A modified wet sieving analysis is presented to test the effect of water addition.

Jan 1, 1984

By AIME AIME

AT the end of September, ' the metal-producing industries were almost prostrate, the production of fuels was largely curtailed, there was a fair degree of activity in general manufacturing, while retail trade was moderately good. Looking at industry on the whole, there was a large percentage of unemployment, the degree of which has increased, progressively, month by month since the beginning of 1921. There is the prospect of much destitution and misery this winter; yet while' in some, quarters, idle workers are already being fed from, commissaries; in other quarters profligacy; in "spending continues, unabated. Amid this confusion in conditions there is;' much that appears paradoxical, but in fact it is not so and indeed everything is running pretty true to form: Such activity in production as there is to be seen is mainly in textiles; - leather goods, foodstuffs, etc., i.e., consumption goods for immediate use. Even in hard times 105,000,000 people must buy a good deal of clothing and food. Besides this there is indispensable repair work and- maintenances. Thus, the good business of the year in white lead for painting. The chief uses for the metals, however, are in the production of capital goods, and except for occasional and special reasons nobody in his senses is capitalizing anything at present prices for labor. Hence several millions of men are idle. The impoverishment of Europe and the exhaustion of her credits adds to this by curtailing our export trade.

Jan 1, 1921

By Robert R. Turner, Arthur R. MacPherson

This chapter reviews the steps which should be taken from the time it is decided to consider autogenous grinding in the development of a new ore deposit or the expansion of an existing plant up until the purchase of the new autogenous mills. In this case the term autogenous includes semi -autogenous, secondary pebble mills, and lump milling as well as fully autogenous grinding systems. Also, both wet and dry grinding alternatives have been included. Before the test program it must be decided how many bulk samples are required to properly assess the autogenous grinding possibilities of the deposit. Also, a decision must be made on where and how the samples are to be ground i.e. pilot mill at site or in established location, wet and or dry grinding, etc. In the test program itself, certain fundamental data must be obtained. The testing should include enough work to determine whether fully autogenous or semi-autogenous grinding should be used and what type produces best power efficiency. Also, all the other pertinent data should be collected such as power; tonnages; feed, charge, and product sizing; circulating loads, etc. If a secondary mill is required to produce a final grind the decision on whether a pebble or ball mill should be used may require additional test work. Finally, the concentration of the mineral may play an important part in selection of the circuit and should become a part of the final testing once the grinding has been established.

Jan 1, 1978

By G. H. Anderson

H. R. HANLEY*—I have been asked to discuss briefly the development of rotating cathodes for the electrolytic deposition of cadmium. The earliest recorded use of rotating cathodes was by Hoepfner at Frufurt, Germany about sixty years ago. He elec-trolized zinc chloride solution using diaphragms to separate electrodes. In the early experimental work of the Bully Hill Copper Mining and Smelting Co., Shasta County, Calif., rotating aluminum cathodes 4 ft in diam were used in the electrolysis of an acid zinc sulphate solution. Finished cathodes weighing up to 400 lb were produced. Because of mechanical difficulties, this type of cathode was abandoned for zinc, but was later used for cadmium because of the relative smoothness of deposit in comparison with stationary plates with comparable current densities. Cadmium sponge which forms on the cathode at moderate current densities (without special treatment) is entirely eliminated by a slow rotation. The rate of rotation of the cathode has an effect on the mechanical nature of the deposit. A high rate of rotation concentrates the adhering electrolyte on the shaft; a moderate rate appears to concentrate on the cathode a short distance out from the shaft tending to corrode the deposit in the form of a ring. At a very slow rotation (2 to 3 rpm) the adhering electrolyte gravitates nearly vertically, thus avoiding the cutting ring referred to above. The true explanation for the smoother deposits obtained on rotating cathodes may not be given definitely as the numerous factors involved are not thoroughly understood. Smooth deposits are obtained when the orderly growth of the metal crystals in the cathode lattice are disorganized. Thus the crystals form and grow for a very short interval when they are arrested and a new crystal forms. The continued growth of the original crystals provides large crystals and a rough deposit. Also if the acidity of the electrolyte is low, hydrogen gas bubbles adhere to the deposit. As the cathode is rotated the gas surface is brought into the atmosphere where they burst; thus the deposit is made on a surface relatively gas-free. An aluminum hub distance piece was riveted to each aluminum disk 4 ft in diam, slipped on a 4 1/2 in. steel shaft and pressed tight to prevent acid electrolyte seeping through to the shaft. The 9-cathode assembly was supported on insulated bearings. Electrical contact to the shaft was made through what was equivalent to a copper pulley. Sufficiently high conductivity brushes were placed on the face of the pulley to lead the current to the cathode bus bar. The assembly was driven by a link belt contacting a sprocket insulated from the shaft. The lead anodes were semicircular and supported on porcelain insulators placed on the bottom of the cell. Two anodes were provided for each cathode to permit an 8-in. space between them without increasing the ohmic resistance. This ample spacing permitted easy stripping of deposit with the assembly in place. Cathode cadmium was melted under 650 W cylinder oil. After casting, the primary slabs were remelted under molten caustic soda and cast into pencils 1 1/32 in. in diam. Rotating cathodes for deposition of cadmium are used at Risdon, Tasmania, and at Magdeburg, Germany. W. G. WOOLF*—This paper is very-interesting to me because in our work at the Electrolytic Zinc Plant of the Sullivan Mining Co. we had an exactly similar problem—that is, a method of producing cadmium from our purification residue, the recovery of the contained copper as a copper precipitate which could be sent to a copper smelter and the production of merchantable cadmium. It is interesting to me, not knowing of the work of the Risdon people, how closely we approximate them in their main metallurgy, diverging at several interesting steps which I would like to discuss for just a moment. For example, at Risdon they oxidize their purification residue. In our practice we take the current residue as it is produced in the purification department of the zinc plant and process it in the cadmium plant. The only oxidation that it obtains is the oxidation in the presses, the dumping of the presses and the collection and transportation of the residue to the cadmium plant. We find that the leaching of that residue does not necessarily require the oxidation step that the Risdon people evidently find necessary. The discussion of oxidation comes in again in the matter of the treatment of the precipitated cadmium sponge with zinc dust which again at Risdon is oxidized but which we do not attempt to oxidize except as it oxidizes itself in the storage. There is a partial oxidation which cannot be avoided, as Mr. David-sou pointed out, but we make no attempt to attain a complete oxidation and we dissolve the cadmium sponge in the sul-

Jan 1, 1950

By Oswald J. Heinrich

This question having been repeatedly raised, and particularly revived in a discussion at the last meeting of the Institute, I beg to submit the following remarks, based partly upon personal experience, partly upon the results of large works in Europe, establishing, years ago, the practicability of certain methods, which may therefore be considered to have passed the stage of mere experiment. Before entering upon the merits of one system or the other, it is indispensable to lay down some recognized principles, which ought to serve as guides, in arriving at fair judgments in questions of this character. In a profession like that of mining, locally so much influenced by combinations of circumstances too various to mention, it is difficult to do more than lay down the main features of a system based upon general laws and recognized facts, leaving the details to the sound judgment and experience of the engineer, who, by virtue of his education, ought to be able to make such choice and such modifications in the plans of a mine as the particular case demands. Mineral resources, in some countries the sole property of the owner of the soil, in others controlled by the strong hand of a government, are nevertheless a gift of nature, in which, indirectly, the whole of the human race has as real an interest as the immediate owner himself. This interest requires, at least, that no unnecessary waste of

By Oswald J. Heinrich

THIS question having been repeatedly raised, and particularly revived in a discussion at the last meeting of the Institute, I beg to submit the following remarks, based partly upon personal experience, partly upon the results of large works in Europe, establishing, years ago, the practicability of certain methods, which may therefore be considered to have passed the stage of mere experiment. Before entering upon the merits of one system or the other, it is indispensable to lay down some recognized principles, which ought to serve as guides, in arriving at fair judgments in questions of this character. In a profession like that of mining, locally so much influenced by combinations of circumstances too various to mention, it is difficult to do more than lay down the main features of a system based upon general laws and recognized facts, leaving the details to the sound judgment and experience of the engineer, who, by virtue of his education, ought to be able to make such choice and such modifications in the plans of a mine as the particular case demands. Mineral resources, in some countries the sole property of the owner of the soil, in others controlled by the strong hand of a government, are nevertheless a gift of nature, in which, indirectly, the whole of the human race has as real an interest as the immediate owner himself. This interest requires, at least, that no unnecessary waste of

Jan 1, 1874

INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING CONGRESS This Congress will be held under the auspices of five National Engineering Societies, of whi h the Institute is one. The sessions will be held in 11 sections and the proceedings will be published in 10 volumes of 500 pages each, of which Volume 8 will contain the papers and proceedings on Mining Engineering and Metallurgy. The membership fee of $5 will entitle the holder to the volume of General Proceedings and Index, and, in addition thereto, any other single volume chosen. Other volumes may be subscribed for according to a sliding scale depending upon the number of volumes taken. The Institute will have a meeting in San Francisco during 1915, and it is desirable for our members to join the International Engineering Congress at in early date in order that their support of the enterprise may be given in its early stages, when it is most needed.

Jan 2, 1914

By H. W. McCue

In 1944, in the Texas Panhandle, 245 oil wells were drilled with a total daily initial production of 32,886 bbl., representing an average initial production of 134 bbl, per well. This was an increase over 1943 of 121 wells drilled, and an increased initial production of 13,861 barrels. On Dec. 31, 1944, the field was operating on an allowable of 113,567 bbl. per day, but actually was producing 85,539 bbl. per day from the 5901 oil wells. The tota1 production for the year was 33,439,436 bbl., bringing the cumulative total to 5.04,537,048 barrels. Gas Sixty-three gas wells with a combined open flow of 992 million cu. ft., were drilled during 1944. This was an increase of seven wells over 1943, but a drop of 216 million cu. ft. in initial open flow. The

Jan 1, 1945

By Frederic P. Dewey

The Bureau of the Mint of the United States Treasury maintains 13 ofEces for the purchase of gold-bullion, and this paper describes an investigation to establish the reasonable differences in the assay-results at the various institutions which may be commercially allowable in the settlements between them. Beginning with the comparative assay of proof-gold at the Philadelphia mint and the Utrecht mint, which shows 0.00002 as the closest agreement now possible, nine tables of comparative results, taken from the regular work of the service, are given..These tables begin with very fine gold, produced in an electrolytic refinery, showing close agreement in the assay-results, and follow through decreasing gold fineness and increasing amounts and complexity of base metals to very impure and complex bars produced at cyanide-mills, some of which give widely-varying results. Next is given a series of results on samples, prepared and sent out to various laboratories in the service, to test the influence of different metals and various combinations upon the agreement of the assay-results ; 11 samples were sent out and each one was assayed from 44 to 71 times, making a total of 623 assays. To these ire added 107 assays of identical samples of coin-gold. On a previous occasion,' I have endeavored to show the degree of accuracy that may be expected in the ordinary everyday analysis of various materials, and on another occasion,2

Jan 1, 1910

By Thomas Leonard Watson

In a paper read by title at the Washingtoil meeting of the Institute,' May, 1905,I discussed at considerable length the geological relations, mode of occurrence, and the genesis of the lead- and zinc-ores of the VirginisTennessee region. The present paper treats of the purely ecorlomic phases of the zinc-ores of the district,—such as methods of mining the ores, their preparation and treatment. The Albemarle coullty mines and plant were discussed in the paper referred to above, and mill not be considered here. Methods of Mining. Until very recently the mining of lead- and zinc-ores in Virginia mas limited wholly to the surface-belt of weathering. The mode of occurrence and the character of the ores to be mined were such as to demand the employment of niethods used in mining secondary concentrated ores. Accordingly, a system similar to that practiced in mining brown iron-ores was employed, being modified to meet the changed conditions. Oxidized or Soft Ores.—Up to the present time practically all the ore mined in the Virginia district has been of the oxidized or soft type;—the silicate, calamine, and the carbonate, smith-sonite; largely the former, which has been localized and concentrated at only slight depths below the surface. Because of the extreme irregularity with which the limestone weathers when stripped of the overlying residual clay, it presents a roughened surface of large and small irregular " chimneys"

Jan 1, 1907

By Arthur F. Taggart

The quality of aggregate materials is. of major importance in governing durability and permanence of concrete structures. The problem of selecting suitable aggregate materials is two-fold. Geological factors include the type and character of the aggregate source, presence of known or suspected reactive constituents, and presence of thermally incompatible materials. Laboratory investigations include petrographic studies, soundness and reactivity tests, and tests of thermal properties. The importance of each factor in the selection of satisfactory aggregate material is considered in detail.

Jan 1, 1950

By Henry M. Howe

in Cast-Iron. It has been generally accepted that the presence of silicon in cast-iron leads to the formation of graphite; and this has been explained by saying that the silicon lowers the solvent power of iron for carbon at and somewhat below the freezing-point, so that, in the presence of silicon, the iron is unable to retain in solution or combination the whole of the carbon with which it has united while molten, and therefore expels the excess of carbon in the form of graphite, during and immediately after solidification. Probably the best way to study this question would be to examine pure cast-irons, i.e., those containing nothing but iron, carbon and silicon, which at the same time should have been saturated with carbon when molten. But the data for such a study are not at hand; so we must turn to commercial pig-irons as they are made in the blast-furnace, and before their composition has been changed by remelting. Much evidence has been offered of late, tending to oppose the theory of the action of silicon above set forth. Some of this evidence will be examined here. 1. Mr. Bachman's Results. In particular, Mr. F. E. Bachman† has published a collection of analyses of cast-iron, in which the proportion of graphite at first appears to be nearly independent of the proportion of silicon present. Thus, in his Table LI., we find that with pro-

Jan 1, 1901

By Sergio G. Jarpa

A mining project is, at one and the same time, capital intensive and highly risky. Besides, because of its usual long projected life, the operating cost is more difficult to predict and offtentimes exceed, during the life of the project, the first investment manifold. The objective of this study was to evaluate the applicability of cost-capacity relationships as used in the chemical industry to mining operations and, when necessary, to develop new ones. With the aid of a computer library program available at the Computation Center of the Pennsylvania State University, the total investment in mining equipment was determined to vary exponentially with production capacity, and the scaling exponents for each class of equipment, i.e., drills, shovels, trucks and earth moving equipment, as well as for the total operation were calculated. Since the scaling exponent for the whole mining operation happened to be equal to 0.94, it was concluded that more significant economies of scale are achievable in processing plants than in mining operations. From the operating cost point of view, unit material cost was found to decrease more rapidly than unit labor for the same increases in production capacity. The analysis of cost centers revealed that drilling and blasting, which are materials-intensive operational stages, were the most favorable in achieving significant economies of scale. Hauling unit cost, on the other hand, decreased only slightly when production capacity increased.

Jan 1, 1977

By Tong Guangxu

INTRODUCTION Throughout the world, the caving mining methods of ore-draw under the overlying waste rock are sublevel caving in Sweden, block caving in U.S.A. and forced block caving and sublevel caving with sill-pillar in U.S.S.R. These caving methods are of high efficiency, low cost and large production (especially the block caving method) when compared to opencast mining. From the ore production of all under- ground mines, the largest annual production of underground metalliferous mines in the world is caving methods. The sublevel caving in Kiruna Iron Mine of Sweden has reached annual ore production over 20 million tons in 1974. The block caving in Climax Molybdenum Mine and San Manuel Copper Mine of U.S.A. both have produced about 40 thou- sand tons of ore per day in 1971. At the same time, the productivity of Kiruna was 12 thousand tons of ore per man-year, Climax 42.8 tons (48.3 short tons) per man-shift and San Manuel 29.01 tons (32.1 short tons) per man-shift. The main feature of this group of mining methods is the underground extraction of ore from beneath overlying caveable waste rock. Since the loss and dilution of ore are inherent (sometimes to a great extent), the control of ore-draw in these methods as com- pared with other methods is very important. Consequently, concerned Universities and Research Institutes have devoted great amounts of research on ore-draw theory and control management which has provided positive results to mine production, and has apparently promoted the development of the caving methods. During 1979 in China, metalliferous underground mines accounted for 15.22% of the total iron ore produced, while also accounting for 56% of total non-ferrous production. According to the mining methods, sub level caving in the principal underground iron mines counted for about 56.74% of total principal underground iron mine production, but only about 1% of total non-ferrous underground mine production. Relative to forced block caving and sublevel caving with sill pillar, the Chinese non-ferrous under- ground mines estimated about 35% of total non-ferrous underground mine production from these two methods, mainly from the latter. From the trend of development of underground metalliferous mines in China, the percentage of production in caving will be increased in the future, especially in block caving and forced block caving which have already been given great attention in the mining circle. In these types of mining methods the ore is drawn from the stope under a large area of overlying waste rock, which complicates the basic regulation and control of ore-draw, but provides lower loss and dilution than sublevel caving. Because of these reasons, the Kiruna Iron Mine in Sweden is intending to change its sublevel caving by testing a sublevel shrinkage caving method and considering a large area of ore-draw beneath the stope as an advantage. Therefore, the basic regulation and control management of ore-draw under a large area, as practiced in China, will be discussed in this paper. BASIC REGULATION OF ORE- DRAW FROM CAVING STOPE The aim of studying ore-draw under a large area of overlying waste rock is to se- cure a planned draw schedule that guarantees a certain plane of interface between ore and waste rock, and controls the change of its shape in spatial position for reducing ore loss and dilution during the draw process. Presently, the ellipsoid theory is comparatively near the actual attitude of ore-draw from the cave. 1. Ore Drawn Out from Single Drawpoint Laboratory testing and practical experience all show that after a certain amount of ore has been drawn out from a drawpoint, its original shape in the stope before drawing is more or less similar to an ellipsoid, hence the name "draw ellipsoid." This draw ellipsoid is cut at the bottom by a horizontal plane corresponding to the raise of the drawpoint, and its volume can be calculated by the following formula:

Jan 1, 1981

Salt Lake City was founded July 24, 1847, by Mormons under the leadership of Brigham Young. It had a population of 1 18.1 10, according to the United States census of 1920, and of 15 1,968, according to a civic survey, January 1, 1925. The Salt Lake metropolitan district is estimated to have 180.079 inhabitants. The city's area is 5 1.8 square miles. Its altitude is 4,354 feet. It has 514 miles of streets, of which 91 miles are paved. The streets in the main portion of the city are 132 feet wide and the blocks are 660 feet long. It has 144 miles of street railway and 2,200 electric street lights. It has fifteen parks and playgrounds, forty public schools and six private schools. It has eighty-nine church edifices, of which forty-nine are devoted to denominations other than the Mormon church.

Jan 1, 1925

By A. R. Oltrogge

WE have just seen? that resistance is a characteristic of an electric circuit that makes it difficult for current to flow; also, that if, by the application of voltage, we cause a current to flow through a circuit having resistance, heat is generated. This is the principle utilized in the production of heat by electric power in the arc furnace. In order to fully appreciate the problems of the arc-furnace electric circuit, let us examine the characteristics of some of the more commonly used materials that offer resistance to a flow of current and thereby produce heat. Usually the resistance material is a metal or a metal alloy, such as the nichrome ribbon in an electric toaster or the tungsten filament of an ordinary light bulb. These are the materials whose resistance-remains relatively fixed and which therefore permit the flow of a definite amount of current for a given impressed voltage. If we want more current to flow, we must either decrease the resistance or increase the voltage that is causing the current to flow. Such a resistive material has what we call a positive volt-ampere characteristic, which means that in order to get more current we must apply more voltage, and in order to reduce the current we must reduce the voltage. Such a volt-ampere characteristic can be represented by a line plotted on a graph (line B, Fig I).

Jan 1, 1947